Once Upon a Time The story of a reluctant goddes
by MissVolde
Summary: A little girl comes to Hogwarts, too young to be a student, too powerful to be a Muggle. She has everything going for her - power, beauty, intelligence, famous family. Why does she need to run away? And what makes her love Snape?
1. Prologue

AN:  Everyone good belongs to JKR, and I'm just borrowing them.  This is the story before the story, that explains how she gets to Hogwarts and who she is, because once she gets there she doesn't tell anyone.  (But everyone smart figured it out.)  Anyway, plz R&R!

*

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a shadow fell across the world. Great Wizards banded together to fight it, traveling near and far, fighting the evil with all their power. In that dark time, a beautiful witch, a creature of flesh and fire, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. But the birth drained her, and it took all her strength to care for the babe in the years that followed, feeding her on nectar and sunshine and her great love. 

Her lover followed his calling, a high calling, returning from bloody battles not to her, but to a school, to teach. Though she was a noble warrior herself, the witch had a high calling, too, and took care of the little warrior princess herself, teaching the babe everything she needed to know about weapons Muggle and magical, and deep Old Magic, more powerful than wands.  And she taught her Lore, and Healing, and all the ancient secret arts.  She taught the child beauty and wisdom, alone, for it too was a high calling, but had to be done separate from wizards and their ways.  The separation from her true love broke her warrior heart, but the child was safe and wise and strong in the midst of Darkness.  It did not touch her, and would not while her mother lived.  

Finally, one glorious day, Darkness was defeated. The shields the witch erected to shield her baby collapsed, and her presence was once again sensed in the world.  Her lover sensed her again, and raced to her side.  When her lover returned to her, he found her sleeping peacefully the young child cradled in her arms. "Darling," he said, "why didn't you send word? I would have come. I should have been here with you."

"You had a duty, Albus. You did your duty, and I did mine."  She smiled and whispered, "Look at her - look at your daughter, Elena." She pulled back the soft blanket and showed the little girl's face, crowned by auburn hair. "She looks like her father," she said, kissing the sleeping girl's head, causing it to glow with the magical benediction.

The wizard stroked her hair and said, "She's not as ugly as her father." He kissed his true love, the child's mother, and she gripped his neck fiercely, pulling him close to her as she breathed her dying breath into his mouth. 

His eyes widened in shock as her body faded away, transforming into a nightingale, and flew away, singing. He was the most powerful wizard of the age, and he could do nothing to stop this.  Only a phoenix song could cheer him ever after – his ears were deaf to all other birdsong. 

The little girl started to cry, and the sweet taste of his victory turned to ashes in his mouth.   
"Come with me, Elena. Your mother is gone. We're going to Hogwarts."   
*   
Elena moved to Hogwarts with her father, now the headmaster, and was doted on by the teachers. She was a bright and beautiful star in their gloomy lives. Everyone loved her, except her father, who could not look on her without remembering his lost love. Elena didn't like to make him sad, and tried very hard to make him proud of her, reading everything she could, becoming as powerful a witch as her mother. She attracted admiration from everyone, especially the Head Boy, Tom Riddle. He was her match in power, and in her he saw a way to bring Old Power to his side. She loved him truly, for his ambition, his pride, and his power were nothing compared to the warmth of his acceptance. He didn't look at her with shadowed eyes. He never wanted to be away from her. He loved her, and she him. So when he left school, she left with him. There was nothing more Hogwarts could teach her - but Tom could. And would.

She followed him to the ends of the earth as he sought more and more power, gathering others to him.  They were beautiful, and powerful, elegant and alluring.  They attracted people to them, being natural leaders.  People flocked to them, and wanted to help them, to join them in whatever they did. They sought to defeat death, and Elena was a Great Healer, like her mother. As Tom dove deeper and deeper into darkness, she used the power to heal his weary soul, to bolster his flagging strength as he spent himself fighting Death itself.  So, again, the man went off to fight a ferocious, hungry enemy, and his love waited anxiously for his return, so that she could love him, and soothe him, and heal him, and help him prepare for the next battle. 

In time, Tom grew more and more scarred, and it took all of Elena's power to fuse together the torn bits of his soul.  His quest of power drew more and more power from him, and Elena struggled to replenish him, but as hard as she tried, his hunger grew, consuming him.  Elena could barely heal him, even using all her love.  She did great damage to herself trying, and grew very weak, for she could not sustain herself, and her love, and the babe in her belly.

The child was born on a barren island in the North, and like her mother, Elena taught the little princess everything she needed to know, about love, and life and magic.  But Elise, her baby, watched, and learned from both her parents.  Her mother tried to shield her from the Darkness that grew in her father, and his friends, but she was too weak.  As Elise grew, she saw Power, and learned to fear it.  She feared the stranger who looked like her father, the man her mother tried to heal, the man with unquenchable thirst.  She feared the green glow she saw at night, and her mother's tears.  She feared her father's friends most of all.  They gave her precious gifts – jewels, baubles, rich robes of silk and velvet, embroidered with fantastical designs that could only please a child.  They brought her toys and trinkets of gold and silver, enchanted to do great magic.  They praised her and petted her, and looked at her with hungry eyes.

One night the men in their dark cloaks came for her, and dragged her, screaming and clawing, away from her sick mother.  Green lights glowed from her father's room, though he wasn't there.  She screamed and howled, but no one came as they ripped the sleeve of her robe and burned hateful runes into her wrist.  She cried, and fought, but they were big and she was little and there was nothing she could do to stop them.  Then the poison from the runes touched her heart, and she stopped fighting.  She was thirsty, hot, and angry.  So very hot, and wickedly angry, and they stood and laughed and poked and prodded and had no idea how much danger they were in, for they thought her parents couldn't save her.  The rage built in her and awoke the Old Magic, her grandmother's magic, burning magic that reduced them all to ash.

The room stank when her father appeared, the robes of the wizards still smoking, and greasy acrid smoke hung about the room.  "Elise Morgana, what have you done?" he said coldly.

Elise wasn't afraid – she'd saved herself from them, and she'd save herself from him.  She glowered at him silently.

"Do not defy me, little one.  You may be remarkable, but you're still my child.  I brought you into this world and I will take you from it," she said, grabbing her hair and forcing his way into her mind.  She fought, but she couldn't stop him.  He wasn't an enemy; he wasn't a friend; he was her father.  She was his blood.  She belonged to him.  She started to cry.

His green eyes narrowed, and he withdrew, but not completely.  She knew he was still in her brain, and strangely she didn't mind.  She wasn't alone anymore.  She'd never be alone.  He looked at her wrist and scowled.  "Riddles bounce, little one.  Never forget that.  They'll rip you down, but we always rise again, and have our vengeance.  Vengeance is ours."

"Vengeance is _mine_," she whispered.  She wanted vengeance.  On him.  For her mother.

He sensed her thoughts and grabbed her hair, pulling her from the room.  "Still defiant, little one?  Stupid girl!  Come show your mother your disgrace before she dies!"  He pushed her into a dark room, where her mother sat, hunched in a corner, bleeding from a thousand little cuts.  She was singing, a phoenix song, a nightingale song.    The sound of it made her soul ache, not with real pain, but with healing power.  The rage left her, replaced with calm acceptance. 

"Mummy!" she cried, running to her for comfort, to bury her face in her soft bosom and breathe her sweet smell.  Silken arms wrapped around her, and she felt her mother's sharp teeth against her throat.  Elise screamed and pulled away, stumbling away, behind her father.  Then, in a flash of white light, her mother faded into nothingness, and a nightingale flew away forever.

Shaking with fear, Elise looked around the dark room.  Her father stood between her and the door.  She wanted to run, to hide.  He father turned and said, "Stay here.  I'll be back for you."  Then he Apparated away.

A blond man-boy lay on the floor in the corner in a pool of blood.  He was beating his head against the floor tiredly.  "Stop that!" Elise said with all the authority  an eight year old could muster.  He ignored her and kept hitting his head against the stone.  He was dying.  Elise was sick of death.  She was a Riddle – she hated death.  And she was a witch, little or not.  She could do something about it.  She crawled over to the boy and held his head in her little hands,  His hair was soft and silky where it wasn't sticky with blood.  He was quite beautiful, like one of her dolls.  A naughty big dolly, she thought as she Healed him.  He didn't want to be healed.  He wanted to die – her father was in his head, too, telling him what he had to do.  He didn't like "Have to" – he wouldn't be forced.  He wanted to die first  But she didn't care – she wasn't going to be left alone again tonight.  He'd live – she'd make him.  And she did.

Her father returned and took the big boy away.  He left – he had to.  Her father made him.  And Elise made her decision.  Daddy was gone, away from her, in someone else's head.  It was time to leave.  So she ran, her velvet robes ripped and bloody, her face blotchy with tears.  She ran until her legs wouldn't move, and collapsed, crying, to the ground.  As the sun rose, she saw a beautiful bird with wings of fire, and reached for it in her dreams.  She wanted to fly with all her heart, and begged to bird to take her to her mother, to heaven.  And the bird swooped down and carried her home.

To Hogwarts.


	2. Out of the Frying Pan 1: Choices

Once upon a time, a little girl awoke from a dream of flight. In her dream she had flown with a phoenix from a place of endless terror to a safe, warm land. The phoenix couldn't keep her in his nest, and had set her down in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, wet with in morning dew. The little girl had never been to a Quidditch pitch before, but was very familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of morning dhu. She reached inside herself and called on her grandmother's magic to warm and heal her. She heard the nightingale song from far away, and was instantly healed of all her injuries, all except for the faintly visible scars on her wrist – even phoenix tears could not heal those. But the phoenix had not tears for her – it was gone. Without a phoenix, she could not fly. She could not fly, but she could to walk.  
  
"What are you doing here, missy?" a small giant asked her as she walked toward the forest. "Students are forbidden from the Dark Forest. Too dangerous for little witches."  
  
"I'm not a student," she replied calmly. After the previous night, nothing could frighten her.  
  
"I know that - you're not wearing your uniform. And you're too young for a Hogsmeade Weekend jest yet. I'm Hagrid, by the way, the new Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Who might you be?"  
  
"Hogwarts - that's where mummy lived," she said almost to herself. "I'm Elise."  
  
"Well, Elise, you'd best get yourself home now, before you get into trouble."  
  
"She already is in trouble, Hagrid. That's why she's here," said an old man with robes like the sky an a long white beard. Hargid's bearded face broke into a wide smile, and he seemed to stand a little straighter.  
  
"In trouble, Professor Dumbledore? How could that be? She's just a slip of a girl."  
  
"No mere little girl, Hagrid. Don't you recognize her? She's Elena's girl. One of them." He looked down his nose at her, adjusting his spectacles. "Why didn't you say anything, child? Trying to spy for your father?" he asked calmly, tapping the wand in his hand.  
  
"I'm not spying – the bird dropped me here. I'll go now."  
  
"Fawkes has told me what happened, and how he found you, young woman. I ask you again, why didn't you?"  
  
"I'm Elise," she said, staring at her bare feet. It was the only thing she could think to say. The old man hated her, and she wanted to leave so much! No one had ever looked at her that way before, even the ones last night. No one had ever wished her away. It hurt worse than the scars.  
  
"Elena's girl!" the giant breathed. "This is wonderful! Where's your mum, sweetheart? Old Hagrid's her best friend! I've got a new litter of puffskeins to show her, and you of course, and a ..."  
  
"Elena is gone, Hagrid. This girl is all we have left of her," the old man said, closing his eyes. His shoulders slumped for an instant, but then he opened his eyes and stared her down. "Youngster, you're too young for this school. In fact, given your parentage, I think you're unfit for a magical education at all. Yes, far too dangerous. But as you are somewhat my responsibility, I'll give you this choice – return to your father, or stay here and renounce magic."  
  
"Renounce magic, sir? Professor Dumbledore, look at her! She's Elena's child. Your grandchild! You can't deny her magic! You just can't!" Hagrid said, highly agitated.  
  
Elena reached up and took the giant's hand, sending her Healing magic through him. "It's all right, Hagrid. Everything's fine," she said with a dazzling smile. "I can't be a witch, then grandfather?"  
  
"No, I can't allow it. You can stay here, like Hagrid. We'll protect you, but you must be a squib. I'll cast a charm on you to seal it. But you must never use your power here at Hogwarts."  
  
"I want you to stay, Elise. Your mother was a great friend. I owe it to her to help you. Stay here, with me."  
  
"Hagrid, I'm not sure that's wise," Dumbledore said.  
  
"You'll keep her in the castle with you, then, sir? You'll like that, Elise. Lots of magic to learn, even if you're too young for lessons just now."  
  
"Absolutely not, Hagrid. On second thought, I thank you for your offer – I'm afraid if Elise stays, it will have to be with you. She doesn't belong at Hogwarts."  
  
"Her mother did."  
  
"Her mother was my child. This girl is not. I'll have no more of this, Hagrid."  
  
A huge slobbering dog was sleeping in the doorway of a hut, but at the sound of Dumbledore's sharp voice, his head came up and he bounded for the trio, barking. Elise's eyes went round with terror and she tried to run away, but he pounced on her and knocked her to the ground. She lay there, too petrified to move or scream as it lapped her with big friendly doggie kisses.  
  
"Come on now, yeh great beast!" Hagrid said, pulling the dog off her. "Now, now, Elise. It's not so bad! Dinna cry now! He's just a great ugly beast, but he wouldn't hurt a fly. Just like me. There, there, little princess," he said, patting her back awkwardly and brushing the muddy paw prints off her robe.  
  
Quiet tears had no effect on the headmaster. Professor Dumbledore looked at her coldly. "So, what is it to be, Elise?" he asked her impatiently.  
  
"Stay here with me, Elise. We'll have great fun together. Please?" Hagrid asked kindly. "I'll help you, and you can help me. I have a lot of baby animals to take care of, and I need a little one to help me, like. The little ones are frightened of ugly old Hagid. But you aren't, are you? You'll be a great Gryffindor someday soon, mark my words!"  
  
"No, Hagrid. She'll never be a student. She knows too much already."  
  
"But she's your blood, Headmaster! You can't..."  
  
"I must, Hagrid. I must. And you must help me. No one here must know about her. She's no blood of mine."  
  
"But sir!"  
  
"No 'buts', Hagrid. Elena is dead. Her power must die with her. This child will be raised a squib. Do you understand, Elena? You stay here only as long as you follow the rules. No magic. Not ever. Just like Hagrid."  
  
"I understand, grandfather," she said coldly.  
  
"Not 'grandfather' – 'professor' or Headmaster Dumbledore. Tom Riddle's child is no family of mine."  
  
Tears welled in her eyes, but she held them back. The straightened her shoulders and looked at him calmly. "Cast your charms, then, Headmaster. I'll play by your rules," she said in a steady voice. She shook her dark hair behind her shoulders. His magic couldn't bind her, unless she willed it. It was her mother's magic and he couldn't bind her, either. Riddles bounce. Vengeance is mine.  
  
* "I'm very glad you'll be staying with me, Elise," Hagrid said gently, patting her head. "Your grandfather, sorry, the Headmaster is a great man. A great man. I'm sure he'll come around, in time. He loved your mother very much. He's just very upset. He'll come round, mark my words. He'll come round." He watched the great man climb the hill to the castle without a backwards glance. "Come on, lass. Let's go see those puffskeins!" he said with forced good-humor, taking her by the hand and leading her to a shed. Inside a box on the ground were balls of the softest golden fur, purring contentedly. She reached out a hand to pet them, but hesitated, uncertain. "Go on, girl. They don't bite. Don't have no teeth to bite yeh with."  
  
Elise dug her hands in and pulled out two of the soft creatures, and rubbed them against her cheek. She liked them, a lot. She gave Hagrid another smile and he beamed at her.  
  
"That's a girl. We'll have great fun here together. I'll show you all my friends. These are nice, but I have even more exciting ones, too! Unicorns, and fire crabs, and Bane and Firenze will want to meet you, and there are merfolk in the pond. Oh the things I'll have to show you! You'll never have time to miss school, Elise. We'll be far too busy." 


	3. Out of the Frying Pan 2 Flash Forward i...

A/N: Okay, we left little Elise at Hogwarts with nice Hagrid and mean Dumbledore, but from the reviews you didn't seem to like Dumbledore so I cut his whole part out. To sum up, she grew up there and fell in love with Snape, but never let on because he was in love with Lily. She had some horrible adventures, too, but they featured the Dumbledore you hate (and I hate him too!!!) so I cut them out, but they featured Moody the Auror being clueless and McGonagall (who loves her) and Sirius Black, and some singing at the Three Broomsticks with a really cool wizard band that had Narcissa Black as the lead singer. They're all good friends, except Elise can't stand Sirius Black, and not just because she loves Snape. But I'll clue you in with flashbacks as to what happened! Don't worry!  
  
So anyway, one day, Lily and Snape broke up, and Elise had something terrible happen to her. Snape helped her out but didn't fall in love with her because Elise, looked like something the cat dragged in, all cut up with an enchanted dagger and fighting an Imperious Curse. But he saw what had happened to her with his Legilimens skills, and that made her all upset, because she was ashamed and didn't feel worthy of him anymore, ever. You get the idea. Anyway, she ran away to hide from him, and a week later he found her and he decided that she was mysterious and worth getting to know (and not a squib like everyone said). So, since he had already seen her beautiful soul, it was pretty easy for her to seduce him with her good looks and beautiful singing voice. So they got married, etc, blah blah. But now we're 28 years ahead, after a lot of things happened. But after this chapter we'll have Harry! Draco! Hermione! The Weasleys! All the cool characters under one roof for the Final Battle! Honest – I promise. Next chapter is Trio and Draco! And Oliver Wood! And we'll talk about what I skipped, too!  
  
Thanks for the reviews! Plz leave more – I love them!! Reviewers are the best!  
  
****  
  
On the Isle of Skye, in a small kitchen in a modest summer cottage, far away from civilization, Sirius Black sat at the table, absentmindedly fingering an ebony medallion hanging around his neck. On it, carved in deep relief, was a nightingale. He did it almost unconsciously, ever since he had found it in the ruins at James' house, near Lily's body. He had done it often in Azkaban, and it gave him momentary comfort when he thought he would run mad. At least this evil was controlled. At least this problem was solved. She couldn't hurt anyone else. Not anymore.  
  
Snape saw the movement and his eyes narrowed. A rage such as he had not known in a long time flooded Severus Snape's heart. His face turned white, and he stood suddenly, knocking over his chair. "Give it back!" he said forcefully, holding out his hand.  
  
"What?" asked Sirius, feigning confusion. He knew why Snape was angry. And he wasn't going to make it easy on Snivellus.  
  
"Give her back," Snape snarled.  
  
"Who?" Sirius snarled back.  
  
"My wife!" Snape shouted and ripped the leather thong from Black's neck.  
  
*  
  
A few hours later, Snape greeted his old colleagues at his door. "Minerva, thank you for coming. I'm grateful for your help."  
  
"Remus came, too. He thought perhaps if you needed help with anything else..."  
  
"I'm perfectly capable of handling Black on my own, but thank you for your concern," he said sarcastically. "He's in the kitchen, drinking the last of the whiskey. If you hurry you might get some for yourself."  
  
"Get some for us both, Remus. It's going to be a busy night," Professor McGonagall said.  
  
Several hours later, Snape looked over their handiwork. A golden goblet encrusted with opals was willed with a steaming potion, made predominantly of rosewater, dragon blood, and a carefully balanced mix of rare magical herbs prized for their powerful healing properties. The potion was extremely difficult to make, even for a potions master, but Snape had researched and practiced creating this particular potion for more than a decade, in preparation for the day when he knew he'd need it. The room was specially warded against Dark Magic, and the table was enchanted with calming, soothing spells, so that whatever was placed upon it would be serene. It would not be good if she fought them – she was fighting too much already. Snape lit the candle which had never burned since his wedding 18 years before - their unity candle. He knew this particular magic wouldn't help, but he thought seeing it might bring her comfort. If they failed, she deserved to die with comfort. But he would not fail – could not fail. It had to work – all the years he had spent planning for this night made any alternative impossible. She would live. He would not fail. He wiped his sweaty palms on his robe and removed the amulet from his pocket, placing it on the bed gently. "Are you ready, Professor?" he said stiffly.  
  
"Absolutely, Professor," McGonagall replied, drawing her wand. "Please proceed."  
  
She's the greatest Transfiguration talent since Dumbledore. Why didn't Dumbledore come? She's focused; she loved Elise; she'll be fine. Why isn't Dumbledore here?  
  
He took a deep breath and calmed himself, then looked at his colleague. Her face radiated confidence that he was sure she didn't feel. She knows what happened. She knows because I told her – but did I tell her everything? Did I see it or dream it? He lifted his wand and said a little prayer to whatever power still cared enough to protect him and his. Then he waved his wand and transfigured the amulet back into his dying wife.  
  
She took a rattling breath and vomited blood out the side of her mouth. McGonagall roughly grabbed her shoulders and propped her up and Snape poured the potion down her throat. She coughed half of it back on them, and her body twisted on the bed as he cast all the healing charms he knew at her – to stop the bleeding inside, to counteract the curses, and to counteract what she had done to herself with her own powerful healing magic. Writhing in torment, despite the soothing spells he and McGonagall cast, she was healing. Healing in spite of herself. He slipped an arm under her shoulders and cradled her against his chest. He wiped her face with a warm flannel, and whispered in her ear desperately, "Don't leave me. Don't leave me alone again."  
  
She winced and drew a ragged breath, looking up at him through spiky lashes. Her body relaxed and he felt a thrill of fear as he imagined the worst. Then she slowly raised her dirty hand to brush the hair from his face. "You look terrible," she whispered with a faint smile, her eyes shining with love.  
  
He kissed her forehead and laid her back on the bed. "And you look like a goddess," he said gallantly.  
  
"Never expected the little troll to clean up so pretty," she said, quoting the first thing he said to her on their wedding night.  
  
McGonagall diplomatically left the room, though neither of them noticed. He cleaned Elise up gently, gently sponging away all the signs from her ordeal, and reassuring himself that she was indeed back, alive, and with him, in his bed. The first natural smile in what seemed to be two lifetimes broke across his face as he watched her, the light playing across her hair and making the auburn highlights glow. Her body warmed under his ministrations, as did his own. She reached for him, pulling him down to her lips, and he pushed her gently away, his eyes filled with pain. "Elise, we can't," he said, his mouth muffled by hers as she refused to break the kiss.  
  
"Severus, don't take this from me. Not now," she begged. "If you ever loved me, let me keep this! We have no time!"  
  
"I couldn't take it from you if I tried," he said, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her brow with anguish. "How long?" he asked against her hair.  
  
"An hour, maybe less. You tried, sweetheart. You did well," she said, sighing and settling into the fluffy featherbed, finally surrendering to the relaxation charm they had cast on the bed..  
  
"I can do better," Snape said, pulling a silver amulet from his shirt. "It's been a long time, Elise. I've learned much over the...time you've been away. Give me your hand."  
  
"I gave it years ago," she muttered, half asleep. She squeezed his hand gently.  
  
He slipped the silver disk between both their palms, pressed together, and passed his wand over their hands. The amulet glowed red hot., burning them.  
  
"Severus, no!" she cried, trying to twist away from his grip. But he wouldn't budge, and cast the Alcestis curse. He shared his life with hers, magically truing up their lifespans. Hers would be extended, and his shortened. He privately thought the spell misnamed – it was more of a charm. He had lost her once already, and could not bear losing her again. Lost her once, twice, third time...Definitely not a curse, no. And since he cast it, he would die first. A comforting thought.  
  
"It's done, Elise. There's no taking it back now."  
  
"And no time for regrets."  
  
"I don't regret anything," he said solemnly.  
  
"It is what it is. It's too late to change it. I'm sorry."  
  
"No regrets, Elise. There's no time."  
  
"I don't understand?"  
  
"He's back, like you," Severus said, stroking the hair from her brow.  
  
"He's never been gone. There's nothing left - just appetite. He can't hurt anyone. What of it?"  
  
"He's back. He has a body. He's alive. And he's hunting."  
  
"No! He was harmless – or nearly so. He couldn't live – incorporeal! Less than a ghost! I saw him, Severus! He can't – no!" "Someone helped him"  
  
"For God's sake, why?"  
  
"I don't know, Elise. I don't know."  
  
"But it's our mess and we have to clean it up again. I understand."  
  
"There's a prophesy, Elise. Lily's boy..."  
  
"I know – I heard. You don't believe that codswallop, do you?"  
  
"It doesn't matter – he does. Dumbledore and the Ministry have been building up this child – the Boy Who Lived – into the savior of the wizarding world ever since the Dark Lord fell. Now they want him to save them again."  
  
"The Boy Who Lived – nice handle. Who thought it up, Lucius? Rookwood? Bellatrix? She always did have a good ear. Sounds a lot better than 'nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah'," she said in a teasing sing-song. "Much more noble and powerful. And now the boy's bait. Lily wasn't enough of a sacrifice."  
  
"It will work, Elise. One last time."  
  
"Will it? Really?" she said, looking at him with anguished eyes.  
  
"Trust me, Elise."  
  
"You always did appreciate a grand gesture, Severus. But you were never the type to make one," she said, shaking her head and giving him a wry smile. "So, Father knows I'm back now. When does this party start?"  
  
"I sense it as well. We need the boy, but I think as soon as you're both together again the Dark Lord will appear," Snape said with resignation.  
  
"And the boy will come?"  
  
"He'll come. He's a fool."  
  
"So are we." 


	4. Out of the Frying Pan 3: Reconnecting

Elise's face blanched as she walked into the kitchen of the cottage. Black was there, looking horrible. She reached for Severus's hand and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. McGonnagall was there, too, looking quietly pleased, but a hundred years older, like Severus. So tired – all of them looked tired, especially another man she thought she should remember. He looked vaguely familiar– one of that crowd. Richard? One of them – one of his friends. He looked her over closely, but without hostility. She wished she could remember, but it didn't matter. If she needed to know, Severus would tell her.  
  
The kitchen was a wreck – it looked like no one had cleaned it in weeks. Cobwebs hung in the corners, the window sill was caked in dust. Weeks? Months. She looked over all the faces again and started to shiver. McGonnagal brought her a soft shawl and draped it around her shoulders, and Severus poured them both tea from the chipped red teapot. Antigone had loved that teapot. A dull ache began in her chest and she forced herself to think of other things. Her eyes darted around the room, and settled on the yellow paper tacked to the wall – cracked old paper, with a bright orange scribble on it. Ducks for Daddy. Black, dust, ducks – she was going to go explode. Get out of my house! Get away from me! She wanted to yell. She looked at her husband's strained face, and summoned up all the strength she could. She had to think about him – she didn't have the luxury of falling apart anymore.  
  
"So, what brings you all to Skye?" she asked in a low voice, sipping her tea.  
  
Just then, a gaggle of children stumbled out of her fireplace. Five – three boys and two girls – covered in soot. She stood up in surprise.  
  
"Sirius!" one of the boys exclaimed. "I knew it wasn't true! I knew you'd be here!" He ran up to the man and threw his arms around him in a bear hug.  
  
"I'm here, Harry. I'm here for you. Don't fret. Takes more than a magical curtain to bring the curtain down on me! Besides, I had a lot of unfinished work to do."  
  
"We're here to help!" the boy said. "All of us. When we heard you weren't dead..."  
  
"Good news travels fast," interrupted the man she couldn't place. He turned to her husband and said with a smile, "Thank you, Severus. We never could have brought him back without you."  
  
The demonstrative boy looked around, puzzled. "Snape? What has he got to do with this?"  
  
"Professor Snape was able to use a TimeTurner to substitute the Veil in the Department of Mysteries with a Portkey. Instead of falling through, Sirius was transported here," the thin man...(not Richard. Not Gus. Damn it, what was his name!) said, still smiling.  
  
A red haired boy spoke up, "Mum and Dad will be along directly, with Charlie and one of his friends."  
  
"I'd best make more tea, then," Elise said, standing up to busy herself in the now crowded kitchen. Tears started to fall as the group chatted happily. She felt arms go about her waist and jumped, dropping a cup. It shattered in the sink. Her husband repaired it with a flick of his wand and whispered in her ear, "Relax, Elise. Let's go out a moment. They can make tea for themselves."  
  
"The house is a mess," she protested weakly, leaning back against him.  
  
"They can clean it better than you can, Wandless Wonder. Come on – it's a warm night. Or morning, I suppose," he said, looking up and glancing over her shoulder to see the frozen garden lit up with the weak dawn light. He adjusted the cashmere shawl around her shoulders and steered her out the back door.  
  
Light danced across the frozen ground as they walked away from the house. He climbed over a low stone wall and lifted her petite body over, then put his arm around her shoulders and guided her through the tall pine trees to a bubbling pool that was smoking in the morning mist. He leaned over and dipped his hand in the water, the straightened and drew his wand. "Uiskavar!" he said, and the water glowed. "Get in," he commanded, unlacing her robe.  
  
She stood there passively and let him slide it off her shoulders, the heavy white silk puddling at her feet. She stepped out of her slippers and into the soothing hot water, twisting her long hair into a knot on top of her head. She sighed with pleasure and looked at him expectantly. "You're not coming in, too?" she asked.  
  
"Not now, Elise. I have to talk to you," he sighed. "It's been a long time."  
  
"Very long. You're tired – please, talk to me here. It will soothe you," she insisted, slightly agitated at his reluctance.  
  
He walked over to the edge of the steaming pool and tilted her head back to kiss her brow. "It's not that. It's not. There are things you have to know. Those children..."  
  
"What about them?" she said, her heart pounding. She knew. She didn't want to hear anymore. The saw that boy, the image of his father. Almost as beautiful as her own son. She wouldn't hate him. She wouldn't. She wouldn't blame a child for his parents. He'd done nothing to her, and she'd suffered enough from other people judging her for the sins of her parents. Lily never did anything to harm her. Never.  
  
"Elise, how long do you think you've...been away?"  
  
"A week? I don't know," she lied. "You started going mad, then Black started going mad, and I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't get warm. It was cold, Severus. Very cold."  
  
"You know it was longer."  
  
"Time hasn't done anything to you. You look gorgeous," she said quickly, words tumbling out of her mouth in a nervous rush. The boy – the demonstrative one. Who loved Black. Who was nearly grown. Harry. Lily's Harry.  
  
"Fifteen years, Elise. Fifteen."  
  
"Why so long?"  
  
"Black had you. I couldn't find you."  
  
"Black?" she gasped. The thought she might vomit. "Oh God!" she exclaimed, shaking her head and looking up at him in anguish.  
  
"He was in Azkaban. I didn't know he had you. I couldn't find you. I was at Hogwarts."  
  
"Hogwarts? For the love of God, why?" she said. Her mind rebelled – he shouldn't be subjected to that. There was no reason for that.  
  
"I teach there, Elise."  
  
"You're a teacher?"  
  
"So I said. Potions. Don't look so shocked."  
  
"You have no patience; you don't suffer fools gladly; you have a wonderful imagination. The stress of imagining what could go wrong would kill you. You're no teacher – you haven't the stamina."  
  
"Dumbledore looks after me."  
  
"Someone has to."  
  
"Professor Snape!" a boy's voice called.  
  
"Yes!" he shouted back in an exasperated tone.  
  
A red-haired boy and girl came crashing through the bracken. The boy took in the sight of a woman in the steaming pond and turned beet red, his eyes wide and staring at his shoes. The girl spoke for them both. "Mum and Dad are here, with Bill and Oliver. They asked if you'd mind if they started breakfast?"  
  
"Delightful," Snape said, adding under his breath, "while you're at it, add another wing onto the house."  
  
Elise smiled slightly and muttered, "Neglecting my guests. Bad hostess..."  
  
"We'll be back presently," Snape said from where he sat on a large stone behind his wife. The boy stood there and stared until the girl grabbed at his sleeve and pulled him back toward the house.  
  
"Elise, I didn't know they would come, not with you here. I can make them leave. I can call it all off. It hurts - I know how it must hurt, seeing them."  
  
"And yet Dumbledore has you with them every day," she said tightly. "What of your pain, Severus? They were your children, too. How can you bear it?" she said in a strangled whisper.  
  
"It's been years, Elise. It doesn't hurt the same anymore."  
  
She closed her eyes. It still hurt her. "Why?"  
  
"Because these children aren't dead. We can stop it, Elise. You and I. No more dead babies."  
  
"No more dead babies," she echoed. She rose out of the steaming water like a latter day Venus, and picked up her robe. "It's ruined," she said blankly, looking at the muddy skirt.  
  
"Give it here. I'll fix it," Snape said, waving his wand. The stain lightened, but stayed. "Oh, hell," he muttered. "What color do you like?"  
  
"Blackwatch – Minerva will like it."  
  
"Sweet Mother of Merlin, woman, where did you get your fashion sense?" he said, but flicked his wand again and transfigured the robe into a lovely blue and green tartan pattern, with white lace at the collar much like Professor McGonnagal's own robe. The silk shimmered in the sunlight.  
  
She pulled it on easily, and let down her hair again. He ran his fingers through her heavy tresses. "They'll think we've been shagging."  
  
"I thought that's all teenaged boys thought about anyway," she said lightly.  
  
"Middle aged ones, too," he muttered. "I'll have to go to him soon; you know that."  
  
"I'll be fine," she said with a fake smile. "There really isn't any other way, is there? You have to go first."  
  
"I must. No other order will work. I'll send for help if I can."  
  
"Dinna fash yersel'," she said in a mock Scottish accent, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "The boys will keep me busy."  
  
"Naughty wench."  
  
*  
  
Back in the crowded kitchen, Professor McGonnagal watched out the window with a keen eye. The Snapes were clearly overwhelmed by all their company. Hermione slid up next to her and asked who the lady who left with Professor Snape was.  
  
"Mrs Snape was injured a long time ago, Miss Granger. She has just recently recovered. How is Mr Potter?"  
  
"Excited about Sirius, of course. Very happy."  
  
"Excellent," the professor said, looking around the room. Most of the people had left for the living room, and Mrs Weasley and Oliver Wood were busily frying up enough sausages for an army. Charlie sat at the table regaling Ginny with tales of dragons.  
  
"Professor, why is everyone here? You'd think Voldemort himself was coming."  
  
"He will be, Miss Granger. He will be."  
  
Just then Ron bolted through the door with Harry on his heals. "Dad says you need help with breakfast," he said. Then he noticed Hermione and started acting all cool. "Need me to move any furniture, or anything, Mum?"  
  
"No, dear, just the toast. You can Harry just sit down. You, too ladies," she said as she put a platter of eggs and sausage on the table. "Tuck in, boys! You, too, Oliver, Charlie. Tuck in."  
  
The Snapes came through the door just as they all sat down. Professor Snape raised an eyebrow and sat his wife down, next to Professor McGonnagal, and on the opposite end of the table from Harry and Sirius. She didn't fill her plate, instead sipping her tea and watching everyone silently. For once, Mrs Weasley didn't criticize anyone's appetite, letting them pick at their food if they wished.  
  
"So Elise, what did Severus bring you back for? Joining the Death Eaters or the Order? I suppose you learned enough curses from your parents to make you a little useful to the bastard. Or are you just here to stir his caudrons?"  
  
"Mrs Snape's a squib?" whispered Hermione to Ron.  
  
"I'm an accountant," said Elise to the younger woman. "I don't do magic."  
  
"Just curses."  
  
"As I've thrown three curses in my life, and two of them have been on you, I'd say you're the authority." 


End file.
